Mozart: String Quartets K458 'Hunt' & K465 'Dissonance'

Advantages: Haunting, passionate music to get lost in.
Disadvantages: It's classical and this puts people off before they even try it.

...Schubert left no indication of his inspiration for this piece it is known that he had around the time of composing it played the Viola in Beethoven’s string quartet No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 131 (1826) of which Wagner has commented, “a soul in distress”, followed by pleasant visions, a new yearning for life, beauty, gentleness, yearning, love, whims, humour, hilarity” and then “transition to resignation and painful renunciation” – one man’s reaction and sure proof of the music’s ability to evoke both strong emotion and powerful imagery.” This music sent Schubert “into such transports of delight and enthusiasm that all feared for him”. Beethoven had died the previous year (1827) and Schubert had not only visited him shortly before his death but was also a torchbearer at his funeral. I am no authority on music, I can’t discuss... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Exciting and moving performance, fine singers, orchestra and conductor
Disadvantages: None really

...-excited exuberance of a puppy that has treed its first cat! Background: Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) enjoyed a prolific and highly successful career composing in a wide variety of genres from opera to piano sonatas and is widely regarded to have fine-tuned the Classical Style in his string quartets and symphonies. When Haydn started composing "Die Schoepfung" (The Creation in English) in 1786 he had returned to Vienna after a highly successful time in England where his music was feted by everyone from the King downwards. He was now at the height of his powers, with a doctorate from Oxford University in his pocket and was certainly very aware of the commercial value of his music having made a substantial amount of money in England. From the copious archived documentation, we can read that Haydn felt there was nothing more he could say... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: The instruments actually manage to sing to each other!
Disadvantages: If there is any I'd like to know.

...'Mozart is sunshine' Antonin Dvorak Mozart is undoubtedly one of the most famous composers there ever was. His music is simply put spellbinding and has to be listened to at least once by everyyone in the course of thier lives. His abudance of talent has to be heard by all. All of Mozart's scores are individual from any of his other pieces and should be appreciated piece by piece and not at all as a whole. ---Background--- For those of you who are not familar with Mozart here are a few basic facts. FULL NAME: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart NATIONALITY: Austrian BORN: 1756 DIED: 1791 SPECIALIST MUSIC GENRES: Opera, symphonies, piano concertos, string quartets, church music. Mozart has one of the most colourful lives of all the composers, and this is well illustrated in the film 'Amadeus' which follows his life and is well worth viewing... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful